Delusion of Happiness
by Crazy Kawaii
Summary: Alex gets to see what his life would be like if his parents lived and he was never a spy. Nothing is quite what it should be.
1. Awake

**Delusion of Happiness**

**Summary:** Alex gets to see what his life would be like if his parents lived and he was never a spy. Nothing is quite what it should be.

* * *

"Isn't it funny how things can blow up in your face so suddenly? You may think you have the upper hand, but really, you have _no idea _what is in store for you." The man whispered, all the control in his voice was lost. Alex stood tall and eyed the man, slightly confused, but confident nonetheless. The man must have gone mad from utter defeat. Alex had ruined his plans and MI6 was on their way. He could hear the distance sound of sirens racing in his direction.

"I think I should be the one telling you that." Alex told him, aiming his weapon

"So it may seem." He laughed. Alex stared. What could he be planning? Alex scanned the man and his surroundings. He stood in a corner with nothing nearby he could use to to attack Alex with. He already knew that Alex was physically stronger than him. The swelling welt on his face proved it after a round of hand-to-hand combat.

"Whatever you say." Alex commented off offhandedly. The man _was _going mental. Alex had ruined his intricate plans for wealth that would be gained through the expense of people's lives. Those plans were the man's everything. Now that they were gone, he had nothing. He was ruined.

"Exactly." The man said, and Alex noticed the wild, beyond psychotic gleam in his eyes. Slowly, the man started unbuttoning his shirt, one button at a time.

Alex eyed him.

"I may have failed, dear boy..." He took off his shirt and Alex's eyes widened in a sudden horror.

"But at least I am taking you with me."

Alex swore and sprinted as fast as his legs could take him.

There were explosives attached to the man. The amount of dynamite strapped to him could bring down the building in a raging inferno of flames and destroy everything in it.

Alex heard the sirens and the roar of distant engines racing toward him. He heard the manic laughter, followed by the farewell. He heard the small click that would end it all. He felt the excruciating heat of the air lick at his skin, and the blast that swept him off his feet.

His entire body crashed into something hard.

Then he could hear no more.

* * *

It was dark.

"Aleex!"

He rolled over and groaned.

"Alex..."

His head was pounding.

"Aaaaal-eeeex!"

His muscles ached.

"Alalalalalalalex!"

He felt something tapping innocently on his head.

"Move, let me try."

Blankets were harshly removed from his face and body, making Alex wince at the sudden cold and brightness. The pillow he was resting his head on was whipped out from under him, then smacked his face.

"Oof." said Alex. He heard a young giggle.

He sat up and opened his eyes. Before he could see where he was, the pillow came and hit him in the face again.

"Oof." repeated Alex.

"Get up. We've got to drop off Jacob at Crawley's. Or did you forget?"

Alex turned at looked at the speaker while rubbing his face.

A girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old. Red hair, dark eyes. He had never seen the girl in his life, but he realized that she had a strange resemblance to someone he knew.

"Where's Jack?" Alex asked suddenly, looking for his American caretaker.

"What are you talking about? C'mon, I'm going to be late. You're going to be late too." She said, dropping the pillow on the bed. She walked out of the room, giving Alex some privacy.

Alex noticed a little boy running around in circles, making noises that of an airplane. This must have been the person who was tapping his face. He had fair hair and large eyes and was the spitting image of a young Alex. He could not have been older than three or four years.

"Who are you?" Alex asked, eying the little boy.

He stopped for a second and looked at Alex with his big, gleaming eyes. "Airplane!" He said, and continued to run around. Alex sat on the comfortable bed, suspiciously staring at the little boy and everything else in the room.

"Jacob, get out. Let your brother dress." Alex heard from the hall.

Brother? He had a strange feeling about this.

"Okie-dokie!" Jacob chirped, and 'flew' out of the room with his arms straight out, continuing to make airplane sounds.

Alex slowly got up from his bed, very suspicious and conscious of everything. He scanned the room. It was definitely his room. The window and closet were where they always have been. The tree outside of his window that had always been there was still there.

Everything else was different. The walls were painted. There were posters of people and bands he had never cared for. There was a desk he had never seen in his life. He walked over to it, curious.

On the desk was a laptop he never touched, and a pile of papers with his handwriting scribbled all over which he couldn't recall writing. There were university brochures flowing from his desk. A new, unscratched mobile phone was shining next to a worn out wallet lying on the desk and picked it up, then looked through it.

He saw his school identification card. According to his card, which was his card because it had his name and photo on it, he was in his final year at Brookland. It must have been a mistake.

He had a driver's license. But how could that be, last he knew he was only fourteen? His mind told him to run, this was a trap, he was in danger. Even though Alex knew this was probably just one big, elaborate set up, his curiosity made him stay.

There were several other cards, but what Alex was interested in was the photos. There were several picture tucked into a pocket of the wallet, the corners of each of them were bent and slightly worn. Alex examined each one of them.

There was a picture of... a tall Tom? In a football uniform, with Alex, wearing the same uniform. They were both smiling. Alex looked a bit different too. Another picture. A smiling Alex, the red-head who woke him up, making a funny face, and the little boy named Jacob, staring at his hands.

Alex yelped out in surprise when he saw the next picture. It was a picture of his smiling self, one arm draped over a _very _pretty girl who was kissing his cheek. Alex was clueless as to who she was.

Now this was _strange_. Who ever set this trap up must have had some serious issues with Alex. Who would photoshop pictures and put them in his room? Who would copy his handwriting? Or hire actors and put them in his house?

The next picture nearly caused Alex's heart to stop beating.

He recognized the man immediately. John Rider. He looked very much like Alex, the only exception was the age difference. The man was old, perhaps in his late forties. His hair was starting to gray. He had a stoic expression that Alex had always thought he would have. The other person in the picture was a woman. Helen Rider, Alex assumed. She had dark hair and she was beaming. Alex, the little boy and the red-headed girl were in there too.

The picture looked fairly recent.

Maybe it wasn't a trap. Perhaps he had blanked out for a moment, or rather, several years and this was his life.

No. That was ridiculous. That wouldn't make _sense_. Then again, why would he have a picture of his parents? Where was Jack? Why did the red-head girl live with him, and why was it that he had a _brother_?

Before he could elaborate on his thoughts, the red-headed girl burst into his room.

"Hurry up! We got to go, and you've got to drive!" She exclaimed.

For the first time in his life, Alex did not have the slightest idea of what to do. Should he stay and find out what to do, or just go along with it? Curiosity would get the best of him.

Alex reluctantly ripped his gaze away from the pictures and looked at the girl.

He had a bad feeling about it, but be would go along with this. Just to see what would happen.

"Alright." Alex said, unsure of his own voice. "I'll be ready in a second."


	2. Curious

**Delusion of Happiness**

**Author's Note:** I'm back. Story will continue. Sorry it took so long, hopefully i can update soon. Enjoy.

* * *

Out of all the situations he had been in, from being trapped in a giant fish tank with a deadly jelly fish to being trapped in a space station about to explode, this was by far the most unsettling.

He looked through his closet for something to wear. He did not recognize any of the clothes, except the dirty football uniform on the floor that he saw himself wearing in the picture. Not wanting to waste his time observing his clothes, he through on a pair of jeans and a nice F.C.U.K. shirt and was eager to find what he had in store for him.

When he got a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he noticed that he did not quite look like he usually did. His muscle aches must have kept him from realizing it in the first place.

He was much taller than he remembered. His hair was lighter. His face was sharper. His muscles were prominent and defined; especially his arms and torso. His observation wandered down. His legs were muscular. There was more hair everywhere, period. He did not have a boyish figure. He had the figure of a man.

As he stared at his biceps in awe, he heard someone hit the door, which was followed by a cheap recording of an airplane.

He opened the door to his bedroom. Jacob, the little boy, had arrived with a toy airplane.

He looked at Alex with large, excited eyes. "Look, look Alex!" He pressed a button on his airplane, and the recording played again. Jacob was silent as his listened to the airplane, and when it stopped, he squealed with delight and ran off. Jacob was shortly replaced with the red-headed girl.

"Ready?" She asked. She was dressed in a black sweater, jeans and black boots, apparently ready to take-off.

Alex nodded.

The three off them walked out of the house, and Alex walked slower than the others to see where they were headed.

The outside of the house was different than he remembered. For one, the house was pale yellow, the lawn was greener and there were lots of flowers. Someone in the house must have had a passion for gardening, or at least appreciate greenery.

The girl walked to the passenger side of a Mercedes-Benz, while little Jacob decided to latch himself on Alex's leg and let him do all the walking.

"Wee!" Jacob said. Alex decided to hobble around and entertain the boy, and to wait for instructions too.

"C'mon!" The girl said. "I'm going to be late, again!"

Alex figured he had to drive somewhere. As to where, he had no idea.

Alex realized he did not have car keys. "I don't know where my keys are."

"I have them!" She said. "I always do."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Did you want to drive then?" He wondered aloud.

"Yes!" She exclaimed. "Oh please, I'll clean your room or- or do your chores!"

Alex thought for a moment. He did not know what he was doing, where he was exactly, who any of these people were, what he was suppose to do or where he was suppose to take these people.

"Alright fine." He said, letting the minor drive.

The girl squealed and ran to the driver's side. She opened the back seat and ripped Jacob off Alex's leg (noo! Jacob said) and put him in a child's seat. Alex got into the passenger's seat and observed the to strangers.

The girl was a burst of devious giggles as she adjusted the car's seat and mirrors, while Jacob buckled himself into his seat.

"Anna, why are you driving?" Jacob asked.

"Because Alex is the best!" She grinned and started the car.

"Can I drive Alex?" He asked with a sweet little voice.

"When you're old enough to reach the petals." Alex said. He took the time to look through the glove compartment while Anna reversed from the driveway. He found straws, paper that was written on, a few pounds, condoms and the registration to the car.

"I can reach petals!"

He looked at the registration. It was his car. He owned a Mercedes-Benz. With a GPS.

"Uh-oh. I think I ran over the flowers. Auntie's not gonna like that."

He had a car. Plus it was stocked with condoms. His anxiety and curiosity soared.

Jacob and Anna chattered. Alex learned that Anna was his "cousin" and Jacob was most definitely his brother.

Anna drove to a house not far from their own, and Jacob unbuckled himself. Anna ran from the car before anyone could notice she was driving. Alex got out as well.

They walked to the front of the house and rang the door bell. An older woman opened the door. She had a very warm, motherly charm.

"Hello Anna! Hello Jacob," She picked up Jacob. "You're getting to be big like your brother." Jacob smiled and nodded furiously. "I'm gonna be big like Alex one day!"

She beamed at Alex. "Hello Alex, I heard about your acceptances."

"Oh really?" Alex asked. He didn't. He wanted to hear about them too.

"Your parents are so proud of you." She said warmly. "They can't stop talking about how excellent you are."

His heart did a strange dance. Parents? That was new. "Thank you. You're too much." Alex said, embarrassed that he didn't have the slightest idea what she was talking about.

She smiled. "Oh, you've grown so much! You two Anna, I think you've grown an inch from the last time I saw you."

"It's been a week."

"Oh my, my." The woman said. "Well, you need to get going. Good bye, children."

Anna turned away. "Bye Mrs. Crawley."

"Bye Mrs. Cr-Crawley?" Alex repeated. This was John Crawley's wife? He had a family? What was going on?

Jacob and Mrs. Crawly disappeared in the house. Alex looked at the car and saw the horrible parking job.

"Here's the keys." Anna handed him the keys.

"You drive." Alex said.

Anna's eyes widened with excitement. "So I wasn't too awful?"

To be honest, Alex was not paying attention to her driving. "Practice makes perfect."

"You are the greatest. Alex the great!" She let out another series of devious giggles.

He got in the car and let Anna take him where she needed to go.

Anna's excitement made her talk nonstop, or perhaps she was usually like this. Alex found out that she was driving herself to work at a coffee shop, and today was Saturday.

"So, how'd things go with Sabina yesterday?" Anna asked out off the blue.

Sabina? She was here too? Alex was curious as well. "I- err…"

"Oh my god Alex, I hope you didn't do anything drastically stupid. You came back pissed as a fart last night! The sound of your puking in the loo kept me up. I'm surprised you got up early."

Pissed as a fart? Sabina?

"Er-"

"You don't remember?"

He would be completely honest. "No."

She gasped. "Alex! Hopefully you two didn't," Her eyes widened. "You know. What would Mina do if she found out? She hates Sabina. For good reason too, I think!" Anna laughed and swerved to dodge a pedestrian. "Woops."

Mina? Who was she? What was Anna talking about and why was she speaking so openly with him?

Anna parked by a coffee shop and got out of the car. "I love driving." She declared.

Alex rubbed his temples to try to relieve his throbbing headache.

"Well, I'll be off now. You don't need to pick me up later, because I'm getting a ride from Ja- someone." She said the last part quickly.

"Okay." Alex said, not understanding her slip up. Anna waved goodbye and walked into the coffee shop.

Alex got into his car and sat in the driver's seat for a moment. What was going on? Was this a trick, or some kind of trap? And if it was, how could he have been transformed into a young adult in such a short time? He determined that Anna and Jacob seemed relatively harmless, and if they were in some sort of plan to bring him down, they would not be physically capable of hurting him. Yet for some strange reason, he trusted Anna and felt he could confide in her. He didn't think she would harm him. Perhaps he could talk to her and straighten some things out.

His cell phone rang and interrupted his thoughts. He looked at the screen and picked it up.

'Babycakes' was calling, and a picture of a pretty fair-haired girl popped up, the same girl that was kissing him from the picture in his wallet. Could this be Mina?

He doubted that he would be harmed if he answered his phone, and curiosity got the best off him. But what would he say if she asked anything? He hesitated for a moment, and then answered it.

"Hullo?" His voice dropped unexpectedly. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hello?"

"Hey babe," a sweet voice responded. She had an accent similar to Yassen Gregorovich, but less manly and far more enticing. A rush of adrenaline swept through his body. "What are you doing?"

"I just dropped off Anna." He assumed she knew who Anna was.

"Oh. I just got home right now. Want to come over later?"

And do what, he thought. He had a very strong urge to meet her. "When?"

"Oh, whenever you can. Right now if you like."

His heart raced. "Alright, I'll be on my way."

"Sounds wonderful, I know you won't regret it. Bye," she cooed, and hung up. Won't regret it? What did she mean?

He started the car and realized that he had no idea where this girl lived. Alex muttered an obscenity and turned off his car. Should he call her back? That would be rather odd, especially if she was suppose to be his girlfriend.

But wait! She was not his girlfriend. He never met her before. Last he remembered he was fourteen years old without a family and trapped with a bomb strapped to a lunatic. This could be a complicated plot to kill him.

The idea lingered in his mind for a moment, but then he thought about using his GPS to find where she lived. He turned his car on again, then played with the GPS. He scrolled though the address list and found the address for 'Mina'.

Alex trembled with excitement. Perhaps his body knew something that he didn't.

He hoped that 'Mina' and 'Babycakes' were the same person. He headed off and followed the path the GPS gave him.

His phone vibrated and Alex checked it as he drove. It was a message from Tom. He didn't hesitate to take a look.

'R u alive? I said id check on u but I was busy with titsmcgee haha. O btw, did u bunk up with sabina'

He checked the clock. It was 11:00am. The GPS told him that he was 1.2 miles from his destination and a left turn was coming up.

This might turn out to be the most interesting day of his life.

* * *

review please!


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